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Article about the Status of Ben for Monday Night, UP IN THE AIR YET:rolleyes:

Will he or won't he play?
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

There was one question everyone wanted the answer to at head coach Bill Cowher's press conference on Tuesday.

The question of the day was will Ben Roethlisberger start or even play in Monday night's game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

But, it might not be until game time until they get their answer.

"As it relates to Ben, he will work some tomorrow," said Cowher, who listed the quarterback as questionable for the game. "We probably wont make any decisions until after Wednesday or Thursday, it will probably be closer to Friday or Saturday before we see how he feels and where he is and kind of go from there."

Roethlisberger has thrown some to the receivers already, but Cowher wants to look at him in practice and see how he does before making a decision. He wants to be certain that there aren't any lingering effects from the appendectomy he had on Sunday, September 3.

"I need to see him practice," said Cowher. "He is not going to not practice up until Monday and then be told to go out there and play. You have to practice. It could be a game time decision if it gets to that point. I can't answer that right now."

Cowher talked to Roethlisberger and knows that he wants to play and expects him to continue to be vocal about the desire to do so. But the main thing is that he is ready and they don't rush him onto the field.

"I'll talk to him and see how efficiently he is able to move around, and go from there," said Cowher. "I think with any player, the most important thing is how they feel. We will work with him and I will talk with him and we will go from there."

If Roethlisberger doesn't play, Charlie Batch will get his second start of the season. The Steelers also plan on keeping Brian St. Pierre on the roster for at least this week.

I guess this one is going to be beat around the bush til Saturday or Sunday. I wouldn't mind Charlie starting, but we be better off with Ben. Jacksonville is a tough challenge for us. They aren't as bad as they look.

Cleared medically 10 days after his appendectomy, Roethlisberger will start at quarterback for the Steelers Monday night in Jacksonville provided he feels up to it and he can perform properly in practice this week, starting today.

Coach Bill Cowher listed Roethlisberger as questionable for the game, which supposedly means he has a 50 percent chance of playing. Roethlisberger did some work two days ago and threw the ball yesterday. He has four practices to show he's ready to resume his starting role.

"The bottom line is making sure he's comfortable and can protect himself, and he's not going out there thinking about those things," Cowher said. "Getting [medical] clearance, going through the workload and seeing how his body responds to that ... the kid's been through a lot. I want to make sure he's comfortable and he feels good about himself."

As further evidence that Roethlisberger will be ready, the Steelers released rookie quarterback Omar Jacobs from the practice squad yesterday.

Roethlisberger, in his first two seasons, has a reputation for healing quickly, which was enhanced by his remarkable recovery from a June 12 motorcycle accident that broke his jaw, nose and orbital bone.

He cheered on the sideline Thursday as backup Charlie Batch directed the Steelers to a 28-17 victory against Miami in Heinz Field. Batch completed 15 of 25 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns. After the game, Batch said if Roethlisberger feels fine, the job is his.

"We're going to go one day at a time and hopefully make progress," Roethlisberger said.

Cowher and Roethlisberger have had their differences over the past two years about injuries. The best example came after the Steelers lost to New England in the AFC title game in the 2004 season. Roethlisberger announced some toes were broken after the game. Cowher responded a day later that Roethlisberger did not have any broken toes.

In this instance, Cowher must believe that if Roethlisberger says he feels fine, he's telling the truth.

"I'm not ready to say that if the doctors say he's OK," then he'll play, Cowher said. "He's a very competitive young man and we'll talk. We have an open dialogue and we'll go from there. It's gotten a lot better. I feel I can interpret what's being said as to where it lies.

"That comes with time and I think the relationship that he and I have is a good one, at least from my perspective it is. We've talked enough that I have a feel for him and what he feels."

His teammates already have expressed some opinions on what they think will happen.

"He doesn't like to miss games," receiver Hines Ward said. "He's going to go out there and do whatever it takes to be out there for Jacksonville. It depends on how much pain tolerance he has. Ben's a guy who played with pain before. Me knowing Ben, he's going to be there for Jacksonville."

Last November, Roethlisberger wanted to pass on a doctor's advice and wait until after the season to have knee surgery. He was finally convinced to have it and he missed three games.

He overcame his injuries from the June accident and was ready to start the opener until he fell ill Sept. 3 and had the appendectomy that day. Because no sutures were needed in the laparoscopic appendectomy, Roethlisberger does not risk tearing anything or injuring the area of the surgery.

"From that perspective, he should be fine," Cowher said. "I think with any player, the most important thing is how they feel. We will work with him and I will talk with him and we will go from there."

Roethlisberger, 24, is the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and has a 27-4 record as a starter in the regular season and postseason.

If I was Cowher, I wouldn't announce it until Monday at 8 PM. Make Jax gameplan for both QB's. If I was the Steelers, I'd have this game circled because it's a game that wasn't so much won by Jacksonville last year, but single-handedly lost by that noodle-armed loser Maddox. Just in case anyone forgot, he turned the ball over 4 times, including a fumble that drug the stupid game into OT, and the INT for a TD the other way that cost us the game.

If I was Cowher, I wouldn't announce it until Monday at 8 PM. Make Jax gameplan for both QB's. If I was the Steelers, I'd have this game circled because it's a game that wasn't so much won by Jacksonville last year, but single-handedly lost by that noodle-armed loser Maddox. Just in case anyone forgot, he turned the ball over 4 times, including a fumble that drug the stupid game into OT, and the INT for a TD the other way that cost us the game.

suitanim has a good point in letting Jacksonville prepare for both QB's. It makes sense for BC to let them (Media/Jacksonville) keep guessing who's going to start because they will try and prepare for both and won't be able to get everything in for both QB's which they wanted to work on. Since Ben brings so much more to the game, a Ben start with only mean 50% prep was done for the week and Jacksonville is in for a long night!

I am going to keep tabs on the Steelers Media, I will be the new daily Steelers News Agent here on SA. Keep you guys up to date with the Steelers News as it happens. I think Suit got a great point, also.